The Healthy Foodiehttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com
Who says eating healthy has to be boring?Mon, 19 Mar 2018 14:33:48 +0000enhourly1http://wordpress.com/https://secure.gravatar.com/blavatar/5783a5eeee1ad389981166be3cc265fa?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.wp.com%2Fi%2Fbuttonw-com.pngThe Healthy Foodiehttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com
Food Obsessed is moving to a cozier house!https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/food-obsessed-is-moving-to-a-cozier-house/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/food-obsessed-is-moving-to-a-cozier-house/#respondWed, 08 Jun 2011 02:57:04 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651737That’s right! The movers will be here bright and early tomorrow morning.

Theoretically, you shouldn’t feel a thing. You shouldn’t even notice that anything’s changed at all. But that is the theory!

Although I have hiredprofessional movers to get the job done, there is always a chance that something will go wrong.

Sure, they are much better equipped than I am to get us from point A to point B without a hitch, but still, if something should happen, I would really hate to leave any of you behind.

While I have not been in this neighborhood for a long time, I have grown accustomed to having you all around, and the place would feel awfully empty without you guys.

So please, if by an evil twist of fate you should get dropped in the process, resend your subscription request.

You’ll be able to find me at the exact same address and you should feel right at home as soon as the door swings open.

As of Thursday, I should be the proud owner of a brand new self-hosted WordPress blog.

Phew! What a learning curve this is going to be!!!

See you all on the other side!

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/food-obsessed-is-moving-to-a-cozier-house/feed/0solancasSyringa 'Purple Sensation'Sesame Tofu and Shrimp Soba Noodleshttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/tofu-and-shrimp-soba-noodles/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/tofu-and-shrimp-soba-noodles/#commentsTue, 07 Jun 2011 17:43:52 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651724I almost feel like a broken record with that one. I dunno… I sort of get the impression that I’ve done a million different variations on this same subject. Asian inspired dishes including broccoli, tofu, shrimp and sesame.

Well, what can I say? To me, this is the perfect “quicky meal”, the perfect “let’s-eat-some-veggies-and-clean-up-the-fridge-a-little” dish. Or, the perfect “darn-I-have-no-idea-what-to-make-tonight-let’s-see what’s-in the-fridge-and-whip-something-up” dinner plan.

*No, that’s not a tentacle that grew on the side of the bowl… it’s a green onion who, apparently, decided to jump out… The shrimp must’ve said something scary to him!

AND, it appears that I tend to always have broccoli, bell peppers, tofu and ginger in my fridge… Oh well! But it doesn’t matter what’s in your fridge really. The beauty of this is that you can use whatever veggies you want or have. Everyone ALWAYS has something in their fridge to whip up some kind of an Asian inspired rice or noodle based stirfry resembling dish, now, don’t they?

Bottom line is, you don’t really need to follow a recipe here. If you don’t have the exact vegetables that are in this recipe, don’t sweat it. Use what you have. You don’t like shrimp? No problem! Use chicken, or eggs, why not?. You don’t care for soba noodles? Use rice instead…

This is one dish where a little bit of this and a little bit of that will get the job done!

INGREDIENTS(Serves 1)

80g soba noodles

75g extra firm tofu, cut into ½” cubes

6 tail on cooked shrimp (size 31-40)

5 mushrooms, sliced

1 cup broccoli florets

¼ red bell pepper, sliced

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

2 bird’s eye chili peppers

2 green onions, chopped (save some to garnish if you want)

10g ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp tamari sauce

A drizzle of sesame oil

Sesame seeds, to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook noodles per instruction on package. Throw in your broccoli when your noodles are 30 seconds away from being done, just to give it a quich blanch. Drain and set aside when done.

Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat it over high heat. When it’s really hot throw in the tofu cubes and mushroom slices and turn the heat down to medium-high. Cook from 5-10 minutes, until nice and golden brown.

Add shrimp and the rest of your vegetables and saute for a minute or two, then add tamari sauce, broccoli and noodles. Drizzle with sesame oil and toss quickly just to combine everything.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking… “Sonia, didn’t you just say you were going to keep your calorie intake in check and cook more light and low cal dishes for a while? And yet, here you are, making CHEESECAKE? Are you, like, out of your mind or something?”

Well, not exactly! While cheesecake isn’t exactly you typical low cal dish, believe it or not, one serving of this baby will only set you back about 425 calories.

Not bad for such a rich and decadent dish. While eating it, you would never guess that it was so healthy and surprisingly light. It definitely feels super rich and creamy and oh so cheesy.

You see, I was initially planning on making a quiche, but I suddenly remembered that I had bought about a million packages of low fat cream cheese last time it came on sale (I know, I have to work on that…) and so my mind immediately went “SAVORY CHEESECAKE” and this huge grin came across my face.

Then I remembered: “-Low cal”. D’OH!

I had to think of a way to make this happen. HAD TO!

And I did!

How? I remembered that one could also use cottage cheese to make cheesecakes! Bingo, problem solved. I used one package of low fat cream cheese, one container of 1% cottage cheese and a little bit of Feta cheese for added flavour and texture.

All in all, I am EXTREMELY happy with the results. The texture is rich and creamy with nice chunks of vegetables and the pie as a whole doesn’t feel heavy at all despite being loaded with cheese. The taste? Hard to describe… but definitely YUMMY!

There’s only one tiny little detail that didn’t quite work out… the crust isn’t of the cuddly kind and doesn’t seem to want to cling to the cheese filling. That’s why I decided to garnish with arugula leaves, to hide the gap that had formed between the crust and the filling. Problem solved? Not quite that easily…

The slices are a little tricky to cut, but if you make a small “starter” indentation in the crust, the rest goes pretty good. However, once a slice is cut, the “gap” transforms into a drawbridge, so you sort of have to hold it in place with a toothpick.

Not sure how to solve that problem… I will have to think of something… Edible superglue?

Anywho, that won’t stop me from making this wonderful savory cheesecake again, or even from bringing it to an eventual party. I am truly happy with this experiment and the way it turned out.

And, now that I’ve got a good base, I can play with different flavour combinations!

Oh! food, how I love thee!

INGREDIENTS

Crust

¾ cup spelt flour

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup no fat plain yogurt

1 egg

Filling

1 medium onion, chopped

1 orange bell pepper, chopped

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp oranic no salt seasoning

4 cups broccoli florets, chopped

¼ cup water

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

140g spinach, chopped

Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

250g low fat cream cheese

500g 1% fat cottage cheese

the zest and juice of half a lemon

1 tsp dijon mustard

3 whole eggs

¼ cup egg whites (equivalent to 2 egg whites)

100g Feta cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS(serves 6)

Crust

Whisk flours, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In a measuring cup, whisk oil, yogurt and egg; pour over flour.

Stir to form fairly smooth dough.

On floured surface, knead until smooth, 2 minutes.

Press into disc; wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On floured surface, roll out dough to form a 12-13 inch disc. Fit into 9 inch spring form pan, letting excess hang over edge. Set aside.

Filling

Preheat oven to 375F

In a skillet coated with cooking spray, cook onion, bell pepper and seasoning over medium heat, until fragrant and onion becomes translcent, about 2-3 minutes. Add broccoli and continue cooking for another minute or two.

Add water and balsamic vinegar. Cook until all water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and add chopped spinach and nutmeg. Stir until the spinach is wilted. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, blend cream cheese and cottage cheese together until smooth. Scrape the sides once or twice during process to make sure all cheese is well incorporated.

Add lemon juice and lemon zest, Dijon mustard and give a quick stir.

Add eggs, one at a time, blending until smooth between each addition. Add the egg whites and take the mixture for a final spin.

Transfer cooked vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Add crumbled feta and creamy cheese mixture. Fold delicately until well combined.

Transfer this mixture into the reserved crust. Immediately put in the oven and lower temperature to 325F.

I mean seriously, check this out. THIS is what I had for breakfast this morning.

Oh me, oh my, oh yum! Be still my heart…

Wait, wait, wait… there’s more!

Oh yum!!!!!! This was U-N-B-E-L-I-E-V-A-B-L-Y good! I want some MOOOOORE!!!!

This is another one of those dishes that I would just love to eat until the end of time. I would want to eat nothing but that for the rest of my life. I mean, the whole time I was eating, I couldn’t help but think this is way too good, there is no way it can be healthy. How can this be? Healthy food CANNOT be this good…

Well, apparently, it can!

What’s that you say? You would like to eat some of that too? And, of course, in order to do that, you would need a recipe! Well, it will be my pleasure to share the love!

Please, do yourself a favor and try it…you can thank me later

Oh, and speaking of thanks… I would really like to thank Kris here, over at Young Married Chic, because I got the inspiration for this baby while visiting her site after she had made this wonderful entry about my blueberry cobbler oatmeal.

You’ll see that this one is very similar to my previous overnight oats recipe, but it’s like 2 million times as good!

Hey, and it’s got carob on it! CAROOOOB! God I love that stuff!

Alright, enough talk. Here goes…

Ingredients(1 serving)

½ ripe banana, thinly sliced

½ cup old fashioned rolled oats

1 tbsp bulgur wheat

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tbsp millet

1 tbsp buckwheat groats

1 tbsp extra dark pure cocoa powder

1 cup boiling water

2 tbsp chocolate flavored protein powder

¼ cup milk (I use unsweetened soy)

A dozen carob chips to garnish

Instructions

The previous night

Bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a plastic container with a fitting lid, mix all ingredients except for protein powder and milk. Add boiling water, stir until well combined. Put the lid on and refrigerate overnight (or at least 4 hours)

In the morning

Stir in protein powder. Transfer to serving bowl and add milk.

Garnish with a few carob chips, slices of banana or coconut shavings (like I did), if desired.

Sit back and prepare to visit heaven!

Look at that… chocolate milk!!

OK, one last picture.Viewed from heaven…

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/04/choco-banana-overnight-oats/feed/20solancasChoco-banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsChoco-Banana Overnight OatsWild Rice Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers (and P90X it is!)https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/wild-rice-bell-peppers/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/wild-rice-bell-peppers/#respondFri, 03 Jun 2011 16:37:07 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651692So I finally decided! P90Xit is. This means there will be no running for me this summer and no half-marathon in the fall. I’d given myself until June 1st to decide and, since it doesn’t seem like the weather wants to improve much, well, I won’t mind spending the summer indoors as much.

After doing the program for a week, I realised that I lack big time in the strength and muscle mass department, so from that perspective, I get the feeling that I will gain a lot more by following P90X than I ever would by running.

Sure, running isn’t bad either, but it also comes with a lot of downsides, the most important of all being me not liking it. It’s hard to stick to something that you don’t really enjoy doing. I’m not saying that I will never ever run again, though. I didn’t hate it THAT much. In fact, there is a very good chance that I will be putting my shoes on and go for a little 5k here and there during the course of the summer. And who knows, maybe next year I will want to pick it up again and realise that goal of running a full marathon for my 40th year of existence.

I think what I like the most about P90X is that it is giving me a sense of not being alone. Since I first started this journey, I’ve always trained alone, and made my own programs. Now I finally have someone to think the programs for me, and I sort of have “virtual” training partners. Not that they’re going to mind if I don’t push the play button, heck, they’re not even going to know, but when I do push that button, they all come right to life in my basement. Plus, I don’t need to think about what music to put on, and which program to do… it’s all thought of for me. AND I have to stick with it, push myself, and push myself hard! For it IS a tough program. But I love it! LOVE IT!

The other good thing about it is that it has put me back on track. I had sort of lost sight of my initial goal, and I am still 5kg short of reaching it. 5kg! That’s nothing. I can and will do this! Then I can go back to maintenance mode. I had done that a little prematurely.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FOOD ?!?, you may ask…

Does that mean I’m done cooking beautiful meals day after day? NO WAY! That does mean, however, that you will likely be seeing more light and low cal dishes such as the one I made tonight.

Hey, gotta keep those calories in check!

INGREDIENTS(Serves 2)

2 large bell peppers

1 cup cooked wild rice

150g extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into ½″ cubes

3 green onions, chopped

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 celery stalk, chopped

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 tsp tamari sauce

60g low fat Mozzarella cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375F

Press your tofu to remove excess water. To do this, wrap it in paper towels and put some weight on it, such as a heavy skillet; leave it be while you prepare the rest of your ingredients, then cut it into ½″ cubes.

Meanwhile, cut the bell peppers in half; carefully remove the interior while leaving the stem intact. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a shallow baking dish.

Coat a skillet with cooking spray and brown the mushrooms over medium heat. Add tofu cubes, oregano, salt, pepper, green onions and celery. Cook for a 2-3, until fragrant.

Add rice, spinach and tamari sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and stir gently until the spinach is wilted.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the peppers start to soften up and the cheese turns golden brown.

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/03/wild-rice-bell-peppers/feed/0solancasWild Rice Stuffed Bell PeppersWile Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers Wild Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers Wild Rice Stuffed Bell Peppers Grilled Vegetables Summer Pastahttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/grilled-vegetables-summer-pasta/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/02/grilled-vegetables-summer-pasta/#commentsThu, 02 Jun 2011 15:46:27 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651666Sometimes, it’s what’s left in the fridge that dictates the direction that supper is going to take. This has pretty much been the case all week. Looks like I got a bit carried away when I bought vegetables last week and ended up having to use quite a large amount this week… well, for a single person, that is.

You see, I think I am a bit of a sale maniac. I tend to buy things sometimes just because they are on sale. Can’t miss out on a great bargain! So when I see gorgeous, fresh, plump and colourful bell peppers going for $1.99 a pound, I simply can’t resist buying way more than what I know I will be able to eat in a week. It’s like I HAVE to get at least 2 of each colour. No matter how much I try, I just CAN’T resist. I mean come on! Bell peppers usually go for 2 or 3 times that amount, you know!

And of course, well, same goes for mushrooms, broccoli, eggplant, tomatoes… you get the idea!

Sometimes though, being forced to use certain ingredients is a beautiful thing, as it gives life to delightful creations, as was the case with this pasta dish. I don’t think I would’ve ever come up with this exact combination had it not been for the fact that I had to use those particular veggies. I had also planned on throwing some grilled tofu in there, but ended up forgetting. D’oh!

Mind you, it wasn’t all that necessary, the dish was extremely good and tasty as it was, but I find I am not eating enough protein lately, and adding tofu certainly would’ve helped in that department.

Oh well… now I will HAVE to use that tofu in the next dish that I make, else, I will end up having to chuck it. And, as I’ve said before, I hate wasting food. I sometimes wish they sold tofu in smaller packages… Now I will have to get creative, once again!

INGREDIENTS(serves 2-3)

1 eggplant

1 zucchini

1 orange bell pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt, pepper, oregano and za’atar, to taste

175g – 200g whole wheat rotini

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

20g – 30g goat cheese, crumbled

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook pasta per instructions on the package. When cooked, drain and return to pot.

Fire up your BBQ

Slice aubergine and zucchini in thick slices, about 1″.

Cut bell pepper in half, seed it and smash it to make it as flat as possible.

Brush vegetables on both sides with a little bit of olive oil then sprinkle generously with salt, black pepper, oregano and za’atar.

Grill vegetables on BBQ on medium-high heat until they get nice grill marks on them, about 4-5 minutes per side

I always thought that bruschetta was some sort of a tomato salsa that is usually served on a piece of toasted bread, NOT the other way around. Well, much to my surprise, while searching the Net for some inspiration to make my own bruschetta, I learned that bruschetta would in fact be the piece of toast on which the tomato salsa is served…

Bruschetta is an appetizer from central Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese; the most popular recipe outside of Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella.

True Bruschetta is simple enough for even the kitchen impaired cook to master. It is traditionally a toasted bread rubbed with garlic and then topped with Extra Virgin Olive Oil drizzled over the top. The final step is to add salt and pepper to taste making this a simple yet satisfying dish for everyone.

I am shocked!

This is just like learning that this song you knew and loved basically your entire life and were absolutely certain was by the Red Hot Chili Peppers was, in fact, by Faith No More (yeah, true story… that happened to me… Now, don’t laugh!!!)

So bruschetta would be the toast, not the salsa? I thought for sure that the 2 went hand in hand, and it turns out that the toast alone can, and SHOULD still be called bruschetta!?

I’m not liking this. Seriously! What is this new develry?

So, then I guess what I am presenting you with today is NOT bruschetta, it’s in fact tomato salsa served on toasts. For it to qualify as bruschetta, I would’ve had to add olive oil, salt and pepper to my toasts. Oh well, it was very good nonetheless and just what I had in mind.

I was in the mood for something light and refreshing, and, to be honest, I had a surplus of tomatoes that needed to be used quickly. This fit the bill just right, bruschetta or no bruschetta!

INGREDIENTS

Toasts

1 whole wheat baguette

1 or 2 garlic cloves

Tomato Salsa

3 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

10 kalamata olives, finely chopped

3 tbsp red onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

2 tpsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Goat cheese crumbles, to garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all ingredients for the tomato salsa in a small bowl (except cheese) and set aside to macerate.

While that is happening, slice your baguette on the diagonal and toast the bread, either in your toaster or in the oven under the broiler. You want your toasts to be really nice and crispy.

As soon as the toasts come out, rub them delicately with a garlic clove and top with the tomato salsa.

Sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles and serve immediately

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/bruschetta/feed/8solancasTomato Salsa on ToastsTomato Salsa on ToastsBruschettaVegetarian Lasagna Rollshttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/vegetarian-lasagna-rolls/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/vegetarian-lasagna-rolls/#commentsTue, 31 May 2011 14:14:33 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651635I haven’t had much luck with lasagna in the past, so I decided to take a bit of a different approach this time. Instead of layering my pasta like I usually would, I made them into cute little rolls.

Not only did this technique work much better for me, I find the dish looks so much nicer that way, soelegant and classy! Of course, it makes using different layers / components a tad more difficult, but I am guessing, not entirely impossible. One could probably spread the sauce over the pasta and top that with a little bit of cottage or ricotta mixture before to start rolling the lasagna. I’ll have to give that a try next time.

I made 2 different versions of this, one using whole wheat pasta and one using regular “white” pasta (for my son, who still refuses to eat whole grain pasta of any shape, kind or form) and I find whole wheat worked a lot better. Their firmer texture and the fact that they are a little thicker helps the rolls hold their shape a lot nicer.

As for the sauce, I used 2 different kind of lentils, red and green. I figured the red would go a lot more unnoticed and would make the sauce more accessible to those who don’t really care for lentils, while the green would add a little bit of a crunch and texture. I also added a wide variety of vegetables, namely aubergines, zucchinis, red bell peppers and spinach.

This sauce might look like it would take forever to make, but the truth is, as soon as the lentils are cooked, which takes about 25-30 minutes, it’s pretty much ready to go. So from start to finish, you’re looking at probably an hourand a half to get this elegant dish on your table. It may not be something you’d want to whip up on a busy weeknight, unless you were to make the sauce one night and assemble the next, but really, whichever way you choose to go about it, this is one dish that is very well worth taking the time to make.

INGREDIENTS(for 8 rolls)

8 lasagnas, preferably whole wheat

125g low fat mozzarella cheese

SAUCE

1 onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ eggplant, finely chopped

1 zucchini, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp italian seasoning

2 bay leaves

¼ cup red lentils

¼ cup green Du Puy lentils

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup water

100g spinach, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

In large saucepan, cook onions, celery, garlic and bell peppers over medium heat until fragrant and the onions become translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add zucchini, eggplant, seasonings and lentils and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, then add tomatoes and water. Bring to the boil then lower heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender.

Remove from heat, stir in spinach and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before you start rolling your lasagna.

Preheat oven to 375F

While sauce is cooling, cook lasagna per package instructions. When cooked, lay them flat on a towel and pat them dry.

Spread a little bit of sauce at the bottom of a baking dish. Set aside.

Place lasagnas in a plate, one at a time, and spread about ¼ cup of sauce on the entire length of the pasta. Carefully roll and place in the reserved baking dish. Repeat with the remaining lasagnas.

Top each lasagna roll with a little bit of sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese.

Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and starts to color slightly.

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/vegetarian-lasagna-rolls/feed/5solancasVegetarian Lasagna RollsVegetarian Spaghetti SauceVegetarian Lasagna RollsVegetarian Lasagna RollsMore Power Walnut, Carob and Banana Breadhttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/banana-bread/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/banana-bread/#commentsMon, 30 May 2011 14:28:26 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651620I love banana bread! Not only does it taste amazingly good, but it’s also a very efficient way to use up those super ripe bananas that you inevitably end up with week after week. Well, if you’re like me, that is, and buy bananas every week but only eat them when they are a beautiful bright yellow and then completely lose interest in them as soon as they start to develop the tiniest of brown spots… although I have gotten much better and now eat my bananas a lot riper than I used to, because I know they are in fact better for me when they are good and ripe. But still, I must end up throwing at least one, if not two per week in the freezer to use in smoothies or banana bread, mini loaves or muffins.

Up until now, I’ve always used the same recipe, but this week, I decided to play with the Pumpkin, Rasberry and Buckwheat Loaves recipe and to turn it into a More Power Walnut, Carob and Banana Bread.

Basically all I did is replace the pumpkin puree with banana puree. It took 3 bananas to make the required cup and a half.

Of course, I left the cinnamon, ginger and all spice out of the equation. Oh, and I added 100g of carob chips, which ended up being an enormous waste of time, since they all sunk right to the bottom, and I think they also decided to gang up and have a little party right in the middle of the loaf!

I mean, look how sad! All you can see in the picture is a mere dark spot, a lonely chip that got lost or something… I guess when I get more towards the other end of the bread, I will get a mega dose of crazy happy carob chips all bunched up together!

They’re probably having a good laugh right now at this great prank that they pulled on me.

Maybe next time I will use a little bit less milk to make the batter a tad on the firmer side, that way, the carob chips won’t get to sink that much. Still, the loaf has a very good texture as it is, so you can feel free to go ahead and use that exact recipe.

If you are the kind of person who loves their toasts in the morning, this makes for an absolutely gorgeous breakfast. Just cut a couple of slices and pop them in the toaster, then spread some good all natural peanut or almond butter on them.

Of course, this would also make an excellent afternoon snack!

INGREDIENTS(for one large banana bread)

WET

¾ cup buttermilk

¾ cup soy milk

3 eggs

½ cup egg whites

1½ cup banana puree

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

DRY

120g vanilla flavored whey protein powder

1½ cup buckwheat flour

1/3 cup black chia seeds

2 tsp baking powder

ADD-INS

100g carob chips (entirely NOT necessary!)

75g walnuts, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425F and line loaf pan with parchment paper

In a large mixing bowl, mix wet ingredients together and whisk until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add wet ingredients and stir until well incorporated. Fold in carob chips and nuts. Mix to combine, no more.

Pour batter into loaf pan. Put them in the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 375.

Cook for 40-45min until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan then cool completely on a cooling rack.

Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to a week

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]]>https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/banana-bread/feed/2solancasBanana BreadBanana BreadBanana Bread Ratatouille Pizzahttps://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/ratatouille-pizza/
https://food0bsessed.wordpress.com/2011/05/29/ratatouille-pizza/#commentsSun, 29 May 2011 14:46:46 +0000http://foodobsessed.ca/?p=3436651612I did get an inspiration for that last ball of dough that I still had in the freezer. Best part is, I had all the ingredients I needed in my fridge!

I had bought auberginesand zucchinis for my vegetarian lasagna rolls (this is coming soon, by the way!) but, luckily, I had bought way too much. I sometimes get carried away, like that. I guess I haven’t adjusted to cooking for one or two just yet… I’m still in “cooking for an entire family” mode in my mind!

So anyway, I decided that I would try and make a beautifully layered ratatouille right on a pizza dough. I started by cutting all my vegetables real thin. I tried a mandolin for the aubergines, but that didn’t work very well. A knife does a much better job. The mandolin tends to just shred the delicate flesh of the aubergines.

The zucchinis, however, cooperated beautifully with the mandolin’s blade. As for the tomato, well, I didn’t even try that! A serrated knife was the tool of choice for that one.

So I sliced all my veggies as thin as I possibly could, and then I layered them in a circle, starting with the aubergines, then tomatoes and finally, the zucchinis. Since their circle ended up in being rather small compared to the others, I thought these poor guys didn’t get enough stage… so I went back and inserted one zucchini slice between each aubergine slice. What a great decision that was! It made the pizza look even prettier!

See?

Seriously, this has got to be one of the prettiest pizzas I have seen so far! And it was pretty darn good too if you ask me! The only thing that I would maybe change if I did it again (which I most probably will!) is to remove the seeds from the tomatoes, as they did leak a little more than I would’ve liked them to and the dough ended up being a little soggy in the middle by the time I got to the 3rd slice.

Wait, 3rd slice, you say??? Does that mean you ate the whole thing???

Why, yes, I did! I know, that’s a whopping amount of calories to eat in one go, but I figure an entire pizza like that still has less calories than half of one of the standard stuff from the pizzeria. Plus, it has all sorts of things that are actually good for me. So yes, I do splurge when I have a beautiful, home made, healthy pizza and eat the whole thing to myself most of the time. Hey, it’s not like I do it every day!